Sheet-feeding mechanism for printing press or the like



Oct. 18, 1955 T, R. RITCHIE ET AL 2,721,079

SHEET-FEEDING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESS OR THE LIKE Filed March 19, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l MokR/s H. jcorr W/LLl/IM I MIL/(54 T. R. RITCHIE ETAL 2,721,079

SHEET-FEEDING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESS OR THE LIKE Filed March 19, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N VE N TORS.

Patented Oct. 18, 1955 Free SHEET-FEEDING MECH ISNI FCR PRINTENG PRESS ER THE LIKE Thomas R. Ritchie, Coiling-dale, Pa., Morris H. Scott, 'rThorofare, N. 1., and William J. Walker, Philadelphia,

Application lviarch 19, 1953, Serial No. 343,536

3 Claims. (Ci. 271-56) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

The present invention pertains to the art of feeding sheets of paper or the like to a sheet-processing machine, such as a printing press, the sheets being fed in timed relationship with the cycle of operation of the machine. Apparatus or" the present invention is particularly adapted to feed sheets in a timed relationship with reference to the cycle of operation of the machine that is a Y predetermined alternation of sheet feeding with reference to successive cycles of the machine.

in the art of printing and in allied arts, it is common rior-art practice to lift a sheet of paper or the like from a stack of sheets, and to deliver the lifted sheet to a feeding mechanism that operates to transmit it to the machine that processes the sheet, a single sheet being lifted and fed for each processing operation.

An example of this known prior art is disclosed in the patent to Curtis, of August 18, 1942, No. 2,293,046, and that patent is hereby referred to as part of the disclosure of the present application.

Printing presses and the like sheet processing machines are usually adjustable widthwise for feeding sheets of difierent widths. In Patent No. 2,293,046, such width- Wise adjustment is in the up-and-down direction in Fig. 3. The machine also is adapted to process sheets of different length, i. e., in the direction right-and-left in Fig. 3 of the patent.

In the machine of Patent No. 2,293,046, the top sheet of a stack of sheets is engaged and lifted at or near its leading edge by means of a suction foot or nozzle, which also is actuated to move the leading edge forwardly into engagement with a pair of nip rolls, the latter constituting the first component of the mechanism that transmits successive sheets to the processing mechanism. The sucion nozzle having delivered the leading edge of a sheet to the nip rolls, is then actuated to move back to its position for engaging the next succeeding sheet at its leading edge. Movement of the nozzle is timed for it to engage a succeeding sheet after the trailing edge of the next previous sheet has advanced far enough to be out of the way of the suction nozzle.

In the case of sheets of a given length and longer, the trailing edge of a preceding sheet may not have advanced far enough to be out of the way of the nozzle moving into engagement with the next succeeding top sheet of the stack. Travel of the preceding sheet is impaired thereby, and it may be thrown askew, causing it to become jammed in the sheet-feeding or the processing mechanism. it is then necessary to stop the machine and remove the jam. The device of the present invention obviates this jamming of sheets in transit that is caused by a sheet being struck at its trailing edge by the suction nozzle moving to position for engagement of the next succeeding sheet at its leading edge.

The device of the present invention is an attachment for machines of the type of Patent No. 2,293,046, and it holds the suction nozzle in raised position until after the trailing edge of a sheet travelling towards the processing mechanism has moved out of its way. The device of the invention holds the suction nozzle in raised position during alternate cycles of the sheet-feeding operation, and permits the nozzle to be lowered into engagement with the top sheet of the supply stack during alternate cycles only of the sheet feeding operation. The machine thereby is enabled to process sheets of greater length than under prior art practice.

One practical embodiment of the present invention is disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation, with parts broken away, of a machine embodying the device of the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan, directed particularly to the sheet-feeding mechanism at the right in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional elevation, taken on line 33 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional elevation, taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional elevation, taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 6 is an elevation similar to Fig. 5, with parts in a second position of operation of the device, and

Fig. 7 is an elevation similar to Figs. 5 and 6, illustrating the attachment of the present invention when it is out of operation.

A machine embodying the present invention comprises sheet-processing mechanism indicated generally at 11 in Fig. 1, and sheet-feeding mechanism indicated generally at 12 in Fig. l. The machine in which the attachment of the present invention is disclosed is the same in certain particulars as the machine of Patent No. 2,293,046, which is referred to herewith for a more complete understanding of the machine.

The sheet-processing mechanism comprises a set of rollers and their driving mechanism, which appears generally at 11, the details of which are more fully disclosed in Patent No. 2,293,046. Among the rollers of processing mechanism 11 is the platen roll 15, which drives the crank 16 through gearing 17. Crank 16 thereby is driven in timed relationship with the sheet processing operation.

Connecting rod 13, between the crank 16 and the lever 29, oscillates the lever once during each revolution of crank 16. Connecting rod 21, between lever 20 and cam 22, oscillates the cam once during each oscillation of the lever. Cam follower 23 is carried by the lever 24, which is keyed to the shaft 25. The cam 22 is contoured to comprise a low at 26 and a rise at 27, and the follower 23 is respectively lowered and raised thereby, to oscillate shaft 25 through a predetermined are once for each revolution of crank 16.

Shaft 28, Fig. 2, rotates in bearings 29 at the ends of the arms 30, of which there are several distributed along the length of shaft 25, to which the arms 30 are keyed. Shaft 28 carried several brackets 32 distributed along its length, each bracket supporting a suction foot or nozzle 33 at its end. Each bracket 32 is keyed to shaft 28 by means of a set screw 34, whereby the nozzle 33 rotates with the shaft 28 for a purpose to be described more fully hereinafter.

Nozzle-actuating lever 35, Figs. 2 and 4, is carried by shaft 28 near its end and is keyed thereto by means of set screw 36. Lever 35 carries the roller 37 that bears against the forward surface of locating plate 38, and is held in engagement therewith by means of spring 39, the locating plate being secured to the inside surface of the side plate 40 of the machine. The bracket 41, secured to the outside surface of side plate 40, carries the abutment pin 42, which is located in the path of the pin 43 of nozzle-actuating lever 35 during the upward swing of side plate 40 of the machine into position to be engaged by the abutment pin 42.

With each actuation of cam follower 23 upwardly by actuation of rise 27 of cam 22, shaft rotates clockwise in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, and the nozzle 33 is raised thereby away from its position in Figs. 3 and 4. A vacuum is drawn on nozzle 33, and a valve mechanism, which is fully disclosed in Patent No. 2,293,046, controls the suction of nozzle 33 and times it to be in effect when the nozzle is raised as described. During the upward stroke of nozzle 33, roller 37 rides along the forward face of plate 38, the nozzle thereby being located in position in the horizontal direction for engaging the top sheet of stack 44 near its leading edge.

The nozzle 33 first bears on the top sheet of the stack 44 of sheets, near the leading edge thereof, which is located in proper position for engagement by the nozzle 33 by means of the positioning plate 45. The leading edge ofthetop sheet of paper 44 is lifted under action of the suction of nozzle 33 when the nozzle is raised as described. Upward movement of nozzle 33 continues until pin 43 of lever engages abutment pin 42, and thereafter the lever 35 is rotated clockwise in Fig. 4 by rotation of shaft 28 while the cam 22 continues to rotate shaft 25 clockwise to continue the upward movement of nozzle 33. By the arresting action of abutment pin 42 against the pin 43 of lever 35 causing shaft 28 to rotate clockwise, the nozzle 33 is moved in a forwardly direction to its dotted line position in Fig. 4, and in this position the leading edge of the top sheet, as seen in dotted lines in Fig. 4, is projected into the nip of nip rolls 47 and 48. Roll 47 is driven counterclockwise continuously, and rolls 47 and 48 pull the top sheet forwardly, when the sheet becomes engaged in the nip of the rolls. Valve mechanism of nozzle 33 is timed, in the manner disclosed in Patent No. 2,293,046, to release the suction when the leading edge of the top sheet becomes engaged by the nip rolls 47 and 48.

While the top sheet of paper 44 travels forwardly under operation of the paper feeding mechanism, of which the nip rolls 47 and 48 constitute a component as described more fully in the patent referred to, the nozzle 33 first travels rearwardly and then downwardly to its full line position'of Fig. 4. Return movement of nozzle 33 is by arms 30 and shaft 28 moving downwardly when shaft 25 is rotated counterclockwise in Figs. 4 and 1 by follower 23 rolling along the low 26 of cam 22 during its clockwise movement'in Fig. 1.

Sheets of paper 44 up to a given length travel far enough by actuation of the feeding mechanism of nip rolls 47 and 48 for the trailing edge of a given sheet to be out of the way of the nozzle 33 when the nozzle reaches its full line position of Fig. 4 to engage the next succeeding sheet. If the paper 44 is longer than a predetermined maximum length that the machine will process, the trailing edge of a sheet traveling through the feeding mechanism of nip rolls 47 and 48 will not be out of the way'of nozzle 33 when it reaches its full line position of Fig. 4, and the sheet is engaged thereby. At that time suction is again applied to nozzle 33, and the sheet may become jammed anywhere along the feeding mechanism or in the processing mechanism 11. Mechanism will be described now that prevents the nozzle 33, from engaging a sheet of paper that is travelling towards the sheet processing apparatus 11 under operation of the feed mechanism of nip rollers 47 and 48.

As seen in Fig 1 and more clearly in Fig. 5, the connecting rod 50 is attached at its one end to lever 20 together with connecting rod 21 by means of pin 51. Connecting rod 50 is connected at its other end to pawlactuating lever 52 by means of pivot pin 53, lever 52 being pivoted on the shaft 54 that carries the rotary abutment plate 55 keyed or otherwise fixedly secured thereto. Reinforcing plate 56 is secured to the outward face of 4 the side plate 40 of the machine, and supports a bearing for the shaft 54.

The ratchet 57 is secured to the outward face of abutment plate 55, and is actuated by pawl 58 which is pivoted at 59 on the inward face of pawl actuating lever 52. Spring 60 holds pawl 58 in engagement with the toothed periphery of ratchet 57. Holding pawl or dog 61 is pivoted at 62 on the reinforcing plate 56 and is held by spring 63 in engagement with the toothed periphery of an additional ratchet, which is the same as 57 and is secured to the opposite or inward face of the abutment plate 55. Dog 61 prevents the abutment plate 55 from rotating counterclockwise in Fig. 5 while the actuating pawl 58 is traveling to the left by counterclockwise rotation of pawl-actuating lever 52 during the leftwardly stroke of connecting rod 50 in Fig. 5, dog 61 operating to make certain that a tooth of ratchet 57 is in place for engagement by the pawl 58 during the next following movement of connecting rod 50 to the right.

Along its periphery, the rotary abutment plate 55 is provided with two recesses 65 that are diametrically opposite each other and at right angles to recesses 65, the plate 55 is provided with two lobes or rises 66, also oppositely disposed diametrically; Each time the lever 29 rotates clockwise in Figs. 1 and 5, the pawl 58 actuates ratchet 57 through an arc of and the abutment plate 55 is rotated therewith through an arc of 90.

When cam 22,,in its counterclockwise stroke of Fig. 5, raises follower 23, and raises the abutment pin 43 of nozzle-actuating lever 35, the pin 43 bears against abutment pin 42 and remains so positioned during a portion of the continued clockwise stroke of cam 22, as hereinbefore described. During the same clockwise stroke of cam 22, the pawl 57 actuates its ratchet 57, and the abutment plate 55 is rotated to move a lobe or rise 66 of plate 55 into position under the pin 43 of the nozzle-actuating lever 35. Pin 43 thereby is held in its raised position as seen in Fig. 5, with the result that the nozzle does not lower into position of engagement with the top sheet of the paper 44, which is the full line position of Fig. 4. The nozzle 33, accordingly, is prevented from engaging the next previous sheet that it delivered to the nip rolls 47 and 48. This condition is exemplified in Fig. 5 by the follower 23 being held in raised position, and out of engagement with the peripheral contour of cam 22 along the fall 26 thereof.

At the end of the next counterclockwise movement of cam 22, when the rise 27 is in engagement with its follower 43 in raised position, and immediately thereafter at the beginning of the following clockwise stroke of cam 22, pawl 58 actuates its ratchet 57, and rotates the abutment plate 55 a quarter turn to position a recess 65 under pin 43. Pin 43 is now to move down, and the follower 23 to ride along the fall 26 of the contoured surface of cam 22, as exemplified in Fig. 6.

Apparatus of the present invention is used only when the sheets of paper 44 are so long that their trailing edges may become engaged by nozzle 33 moving downwardly into its full-line position of Fig. 4. When shorter sheets of paper 44 are being processed, the attachment of the present invention is put out of operation. The connecting rod 50 is detached from the pin 51 as seen in Fig. 7, and is hung on the hook 68 of bracket 69, which is secured to the outward face of the side plate 40 of the machine. At that time, as seen in Fig. 6, a recess 65 is under the pin 43, which therefore is permitted to rise and fail with each reciprocation of cam 22 in the manner of the prior art practice.

The disclosure of the drawing described herein is ohe practical embodiment of the invention. The scope of the invention is determined by the accompanying claims.

We claim:

1. In an automatic machine for processing sheets and including sheet-feeding mechanism to transport sheets in succession from a stack of sheets to the processing mechanism that comprises a device to lift the top sheet of the stack and deliver it to the feeding mechanism in time with the processing cycle, an attachment comprising a movable abutment member, actuating mechanism for the abutment member positioning it to hold the sheet-liftingand-delivery device out of engagement with the top sheet of the stack, a drive for the actuating mechanism from the drive of the sheet-lifting-and-delivery device timing movement of the abutment member to hold the sheet-lifting-and-delivery device out of engagement With the top sheet of the stack for alternate sheet-processing cycles.

2. In a machine as defined in claim I, the machine comprising a connection of the drive of the actuating mechanism which is engageable or disengageable selectively to place the attachment into or out of operation selectively.

3. In a machine as defined in claim 1, the abutment member comprising a rotatable plate embodying abutment segments and recesses arranged alternately circumferentially, the actuating mechanism rotating the plate through an arc commensurate with the distance between adjacent abutment segments and recesses, the drive for the actuating device operating in one-to-one timed relationship with the sheet-processing cycle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,942,490 Quigley Jan. 9, 1934 1,974,544 Rowell Sept. 25, 1934 2,097,587 Dearing Nov. 2, 1937 

